


Girl Talk

by delightfulalot



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-02-03 03:24:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1729322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delightfulalot/pseuds/delightfulalot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>  It's the summer before sixth year, and Hermione and Ginny have a little chat about boys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Girl Talk

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction _ever_. I wrote it after I read the first six in preparation for the seventh; it's just a little fluff piece, perhaps. Not much happens, but it requires knowledge of the books. I enjoy bits and pieces...some of it I'm not too happy with, but I do enjoy some. Like the sausage bit.

When the snowy white owl approaches on the horizon, the male Dr. Granger doesn't stare in wonder as he has done in years past. In fact, he doesn't do more than glance up from his paper as the owl lands on the table and holds out a leg. ****

"Hermione! Mail!" the female Dr. Granger, sitting across from her husband, shouts. She doesn't bother taking the letter from the owl, instead looking it in the eye and saying, "She'll be here before long."

Sure enough, there is a pounding on the stairs, and the Grangers' sixteen-year-old daughter appears, bushy hair flying.

"Hedwig!" she exclaims, and her smile causes both of her dentist parents to grimace. Not much has caused the Grangers to fight since Hermione discovered she was a witch, but her front teeth magically shrinking has been a sore spot since it occurred less than two years ago.

Now, however, she pulls the letter from Hedwig's outstretched leg and picks up a piece of sausage from her father's plate. Hedwig nips the sausage from her hand as she opens Harry's letter and reads it quickly.

"Anything exciting?" Hermione's mother asks, watching as her daughter's eyes light up.

"Yes! Dumbledore is going to pick Harry up in less than a week and take him to the Burrow. I bet this means Harry will get information about the prophecy."

Hermione's father nods, not really paying attention. Hermione's mother, who has actually been told the story of what happened in the Department of Mysteries, raises her eyebrows.

"Which means you'll get information, I'm sure."

"Well, yes," Hermione says. "That is, if he tells us."

"You and Ron is this 'us', I'm assuming."

There is a slight flush to Hermione's cheeks as she says, "You assume correctly."

"Ron?" Hermione's father asks, finally lowering his paper. "Is that the famous boy?"

"No, the famous one is Harry. Ron is"--here Hermione's mother glances sideways at her daughter, and then lowers her voice--"he's the one Hermione fancies."

Hermione stamps her foot. "I do not fancy Ronald Weasley!" Her flaming red cheeks, however, betray her slightly.

"Oh, I remember the Weasleys!" Hermione's father says affably. "They were a lovely family!"

"Yes," Hermione says in a relieved sigh. "Yes, they're quite lovely. I only hope I'll be able to visit them again this summer."

"Oh, dear, we don't always appreciate when you go running off as soon as you get home. We hardly see you as it is!"

"It's just a dangerous time, Mum. I would much rather be in the wizarding world than here, if only because then I think you'll be safer."

Hermione's father looks confused, but leaves the talking to the girls and glances at his plate. "Am I missing sausage?" he asks.

Hermione ignores him, failing to point out Hedwig still enjoying her treat, and continues. "Besides, I haven't seen Ginny in a while. And if I'm at the Burrow, I can actually do something instead of sitting around here watching the telly while you two are at work all day."

"You still have to be asked," Hermione's mother says, not realizing that a second owl is zooming towards them through the kitchen window.

As Pig appears and begins to twitter with excitement at Hermione's father, Hedwig hoots haughtily and flies from the kitchen table to the top of the refrigerator. Hermione reaches out and grabs Pig from mid-air, holding him in her fist much like she's always seen Ron do. She pulls the letter from his leg, pats him on the head and lets go.

"When are we leaving?" Hermione's mother asks wearily.

"I'm invited as soon as possible. Ron wants to discuss Harry before he shows up. We're both worried about him, since Sirius...you know."

Hermione's mother nods sadly.

"Well, all of us, I guess," Hermione continues, gesturing with the letter. "Ron says Ginny wants to speak too, and she has something important to tell me."

"We'll leave tomorrow," Hermione's mother says, standing to begin clearing the table. "So we'll be at the Burrow by Wednesday. Write your replies and send that dreadful owl back where it came from." She points to Pig unnecessarily, as he is now zooming around her.

Hermione nods, before snatching Pig from the air and holding out her arm for Hedwig and taking both owls upstairs.

\--

The night Hermione arrives at the Burrow, everyone is harried and worried and there is little of the carefree happiness of former summers, or of her own summer previous to now. But still, she gets to hug Ron and kiss him on the cheek, leaving him awkward and grinning sheepishly and tripping over himself for at least half an hour. She gets shoved into Ginny's room almost immediately by the younger girl, who tells her everything that's been happening for the past few weeks, from Bill's engagement to Tonks' Metamorphosing problems to Mr. Weasley's promotion, and everything she's heard the past few weeks that hasn't been in the Daily Prophet. Hermione listens intently, gasping at the right parts and being appropriately disgusted at the idea of Fleur in this family for all of time.

It isn't until after dinner, though, after the girls are in their beds and the lights are out, that the real girl talk begins.

"Have you heard from Harry much?" Ginny asks first, haltingly. Her eyes are wide open, staring up into the dark as she does so, trying not to feel too breathless waiting for the answer.

"Not much," Hermione says, a bit apologetically. "Just the letter about Dumbledore and his coming here, and a letter at the beginning of the summer saying he'd arrived alright." There is a pause, and then she glances over at Ginny, barely making out her form in the dark. "What about Dean?"

"He's fine. He's almost disgustingly normal, with summer work and parents not in the Order."

Hermione actually fidgets this time, before getting up the courage to ask, "I thought you didn't fancy Harry any longer."

Ginny exhales, and closes her eyes. "I suppose I don't. I'm just...worried."

"Yes, I'm worried as well."

Ginny opens her eyes again, and turns onto her side to see Hermione as much as she can in the dark. "And you?"

"What?" Hermione asks, turning her body toward Ginny as well.

"Do you still fancy my brother?"

"Does he still fancy me?" Hermione asks crossly, flopping onto her back.

Ginny laughs. "Hasn't he always? Even when he's cross at you, or you're cross at each other or whatever, I can tell. Can't you?"

"He's just so...hard to read."

Ginny laughs again, this time a high-pitched giggle. "Are you kidding? Ron?"

Hermione scowls into the dark, and faces Ginny again. "But he's always infuriating. And making fun of me. And trying to get on my bad side."

"Because he fancies you, of course."

Hermione tries to think about it, and as she does so, she realizes that Ron certainly does get much more flustered when she touches him than Harry does. While Harry does seem to enjoy her company, Ron seems to thrive in her company, and when they're alone together, and not discussing Harry, he sometimes seems to be showing off, just for her. She smiles a bit in the dark.

"Oh, bloody hell," she murmurs, almost grinning now. "I suppose I do. Fancy him, I mean."

"I'm almost entirely sure the only two people who ever thought otherwise are you and him."

"Yes. He can be quite an idiot, can't he?"

"It happens when you're directly below Fred and George, I suppose. At least, that's my excuse for him."

Now it's Hermione's turn to ask a halting question, as she says, "Do you think he'll ever do anything about it?"

"Yes?" Ginny sighs. "One day, when he's not too daft, I'm sure he'll come to his senses. Perhaps. Though that's not saying he might not eventually need a push in the right direction."

"Yes. Yes, well, it is Ron, after all." Both girls laughed.

It was quiet for a while, both of their embarrassing questions out in the world. It took a few minutes, but then Hermione asked, "Ginny? Would you mind? I mean, if I were to go out with Ron, would you hate me like we do Fleur?"

At this, Ginny laughed loudly. "Are you mad? Of course not! I'd be honored to have you in the family."

"Good," Hermione said, letting out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Then, after a few more moments of silence, Hermione burst out with, "And I wouldn't mind if you brought Harry into the family. I mean, if you went with him. Good night." With that, she turned her back on Ginny and tried to go to sleep.

Ginny lay there, shocked for a while, but eventually turned her back on Hermione as well, a smile growing on her face.


End file.
